Del wrote:My instinct when handed a giant spider would be to scream, flick it to the floor, scream, jumped up and down on it, scream, jump up and down on it some more, scream, hit the guy who gave it to me in the face, scream, run around screaming, take a breath, and abuse the living hell out of the person who handed it to me kids or no kids.

They would never let me back.

And I wouldn't be sorry.

Yup,me too,exactly in that order,but then I would go and be sick because the noise it makes when you crush a spider makes me sick (I always hoover them up with the looooong hoover pipe) then go and change my shoes.You sure your ancestors are only irish,yes?None been to Scotland or Germans?Noone missing any cousins?

That used to be my first instinct, until Thing 1 desensitized me. I will never forget the first time she walked up behind me and said, "Mom, look!" and she was holding one of those big, thick, black jumping spiders. Can't say I reacted all that well, but it was at least better than the first time she caught a snake. You don't squish spiders in this house, you just call your 12 year old girl to catch them and relocate them.

So, with my girls watching me very carefully, I asked to be able to touch the scorpion too. They like testing me like that. Did I ever tell you guys the zip line story? My heart still feels like it's going to stop just remembering that one. You weren't actually allowed to touch the tarantula, which was fine by me. And she wasn't letting people hold the scorpion this time (they went last time without me) because she had run out of time. He was actually very handsome close up! Can't believe I just said that, but it's true. The tarantula had beautiful coloring too. And, we got a close up look at a Black Widow and a Brown Recluse! Those were a little more nerve wracking. We've done the snake shows too and I've had to do the whole Boa Constrictor around my shoulders thing.

“It is the peculiar nature of the world to go on spinning no matter what sort of heartbreak is happening.”― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees: